Baseball Today

August 11, 2006

RECORD SETTING

Arizona turned a team-record five double plays in a 5-3 win over San Francisco on Wednesday night.

MILESTONE

Justin Morneau hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the eighth inning -- becoming the first Minnesota player with 30 homers in almost two decades -- to lift the Twins to a 4-3 win over Detroit on Wednesday night. Gary Gaetti, Tom Brunansky and Kent Hrbek were the last Twins to hit 30 homers -- all in 1987 -- and Morneau became the first Minnesota player with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs since Gaetti.

STREAKING

Manny Ramirez homered to extend his hitting streak to 24 games in Boston's 4-3 loss to Kansas City Wednesday night. Ramirez's hitting streak is the longest of his career and the longest this season in the American League. He is hitting .398 during the streak with eight home runs, 26 RBIs and 19 runs.

SNAPPED

Advertisement

Brad Hawpe homered and hit a tiebreaking single in the ninth inning, sending Colorado to a 3-1 victory Wednesday night that ended the Los Angeles Dodgers' 11-game winning streak. It was the longest streak in their 13 year history. ... Jon Garland's eight game winning streak was stopped in Chicago's 7-6 loss to the New York Yankees.

GOING DEEP

Houston hit a season-high six home runs, including one by pitcher Roy Oswalt, in Wednesday night's 14-1 rout of Pittsburgh. The Pirates allowed six homers in a game for the first time since Aug. 4, 2002, against San Francisco.

STRONG IN DEFEAT

Mike Piazza had two home runs in San Diego's 4-3 loss to the New York Mets on Wednesday night. The former Mets catcher received a rare curtain call on the road after the first shot. His two solo shots gave him six career home runs off Pedro Martinez, the most by anyone off the ace. ... James Shields (4-6) pitched a five-hitter, striking out six and walking one in Tampa Bay's 2-0 loss to Seattle.

SPEAKING

"It was pretty exciting. It felt like winning the first game in the big leagues. Pretty much the same thing. I always wanted to get at least one." -- Houston's Roy Oswalt after hitting his first career home run in a 14-1 rout of Pittsburgh on Wednesday. Oswalt also got the win, striking out six in six innings.